The Mayor of Jacksonville, The Honorable Alvin Brown, the Commissioner of the PGA TOUR Tim Finchem and Tabitha Furyk representing The Jim & Tabitha Furyk Foundation were there and spoke of how The First Tee impacts youth through values and an introduction to the game of golf. They easily could have been the story but were not.
The opening- being greeted by a young woman named Aleya. A participant of The First Tee of Jacksonville she embodies the nine core values and I would bet she is near the Ace level in terms of life skills experience in The First Tee program. That’s the most advanced level where the young person is planning volunteerism, education, golf and career. Aleya plays on her high school golf team. She beams bright, beautiful and balanced in life and was the perfect opening to the evening.
The end of the story was a story told by Commissioner Finchem, the honoree of the evening. He spoke without notes and from the heart of those early days of The First Tee program. In the course of kicking it off with President Bush they asked Calvin Peete for his thoughts. His reply was simply that if there had been a First Tee program for him the world might not ever have known who Arnold Palmer was.